Privatisation speculation

There has been much speculation over recent days concerning the potential privatisation of Australia Post. POAAL is against the privatisation of Australia Post. Australia would not benefit from its national postal operator being privatised.A privatised postal operator would focus on the main population centres at the expense of customers in rural Australia. About half of all Licensed Post Offices are located in rural Australia and many Mail Contractors are based in rural Australia.Privatisation would significantly disadvantage Licensed Post Office owners and Mail Contractors who operate in rural areas. Australians living in rural Australia would also be disadvantaged if Australia Post were to be privatised.Australia Post already has a balance between privately owned and operated post offices – Licensed Post Offices – and its corporate post offices. Mail and parcel deliveries are carried out by Contractors, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas.Australia is a vast country, with a significant percentage of its population concentrated in metropolitan areas on the eastern seaboard. Australia poses unique challenges when it comes to delivering postal services in its sparsely-populated rural and remote areas.POAAL has watched closely as European postal operators have been privatised, and it is clear that there would be no benefits to Australians if Australia Post were to be privatised.Prior to the 2013 federal election, POAAL sought and received assurances from all major parties that they had no plans to privatise Australia Post.